Chapter 6: Nadja's P.O.V.
2050 Words
!!! *** WARNING! CHAPTER CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS THAT READERS MAY FIND DISTRIBUING. SUCH AS s****l AND PHYSICAL ABUSE, VIOLENCE, AND DEATH! READER DISCRECTION ADVISED! *** !!!
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I woke up feeling weaker than I did when I passed out. My body feels heavy, and my head feels foggy. I don't want to open my eyes. I don't want to face reality. I don't want to bury my friends.
My poor, poor friends. They deserved better. If I was stronger, I could have protected them. I should have done better.
It's no wonder why Uncle treated me the way he did. He was always right when he called me useless. My mother would be disappointed in me. Elanor would be too.
Death follows me everywhere I go. No matter what I do, I'm cursed. Anyone who shows me kindness meets an untimely death.
What did I do to deserve such a curse?
I was rocked suddenly, causing me to realize that I was moving. I'm not walking, but I'm definitely moving. Panic rushed through me, suddenly giving me strength.
I sat up instantly. I'm on a wooden wheelbarrel being pushed through the forest. I came face to face with a man I didn't recognize.
This man has long straight black hair tied in a low ponytail. He smiled brightly at me, making his golden eyes sparkle. He has a strong build and is a lot taller than me, but not as tall as that Oger. At least he's dressed in a white tunic and black leather pants. Not practically naked like the Oger.
"W-who are y-you?" I asked, panicked.
"I am Elgar the Slythe." He told me.
"A-and.. w-why a-are you c-carrying me?" I asked.
"I found you by the river knocked out." He said. "I couldn't leave such a pretty Elf in the middle of the Fae forest unattended. Anything could happen to a pretty little thing like you."
Elgar's voice is soft and sweet, but there is something off about him. He called me pretty twice. That Oger called me pretty too. I knew he wanted to do bad things to me. Does this man mean me harm as well?
Don't trust him Nadja..
Well, at least my subconscious is smart.
"M-my f-friends-"
"The little dead Brownies?" Elgar interrupted me to ask.
"B-Brownies?" I asked.
Elgar chuckled.
"They were your friends, but you didn't know what kind of creatures they were?" He asked.
"I g-guess not.." I mumbled.
Brownies. That's what they were. I've never heard of them before.
"I h-have to g-get b-back to th-them. Th-they d-d-deserve a b-barial." I said.
"I buried them already. Near the river." Elgar told me.
"Y-you.. buried them a-already..?" I asked sadly.
"Brownies give off a certain stench when they die. It attracts many different animals of the forest. Along with creatures like Ogers and Basilisks. I had to." He said.
Basilisks? Brownies really do that when they die? But why?
I feel so lost and confused. I didn't even know what my friends were, or what their death would bring. I don't even know what a Basilisks is. I wonder how many other creatures there are lurking around.
What about the one in front of me?
I looked up at Elgar to inspect him. He looks normal. Like a person. Bigger than an Elf, but his ears are not pointy.
"If you are wondering if I saw the burned Oger, I did." He told me.
My eyes went wide. I completely forgot about that part. My thoughts were consumed with my friends.
"Tell me, how did a little thing like you burn an eight-foot tall Oger like that?" Elgar asked. "I hear that Dark Elves are cunning and strategic. Did you come up with some kind of plan?"
Lie..
"Y-yes." I replied meekly.
"Really?" Elgar asked like he didn't believe me. "How?"
"I-I c-can't t-tell you th-that." I said.
"Well, you keep your secrets then," he replied.
Something is off about him. Why isn't he pressing me for more information? Surly he is curious. The state of that Oger's body..
"W-where are w-we g-going?" I asked.
"I'm taking you somewhere else. Somewhere safe." He told me.
An uneasy feeling took root in my chest.
"S-somewhere s-safe?" I asked.
Elgar nodded.
"That's right. Somewhere no one will find you." He said.
My unease grew.
"W-what exactly i-is a Slythe?" I asked him.
Elgar smirked, but didn't look at me.
"I will tell you when we make camp. It's growing dark, don't you think?" He asked.
I looked around to see that the sun was setting. Stars are sprouting in the sky. The moons are growing brighter.
Elgar started to whistle a tune as he wheeled me through the forest. I pulled my knees to my chest, and hugged myself. Alarm bells are going off in my head.
I'm in danger.
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Elgar stayed silent while he wheeled me around. He walked for another couple of hours while my brain ran nonstop. My head is starting to hurt.
I hope that Elgar really did bury my friends. I wish that I could go back to see for myself. Little Red, Blue, and Green. The kindest creatures I have ever met.
I can't stop replaying their deaths in my head. Red looked so shocked before he fell over. I'm sure that Green and Blue were terrified as their heads got crushed.
I winced, and squeezed my eyes shut. I wish I could rid myself of the memories. I'm sure they will haunt me for years. Just like Elanor's death has.
I've also been thinking about how I killed that Oger. That couldn't have been me. Maybe things didn't really happen how I thought, because..
Honestly, it seemed like I was using spirit, lightning, and the cold. That couldn't be possible though. It's unheard of for an Elf to use any of those powers, let alone all three.
I felt that power rush out of me though. Like I was calling to someone, or something. What though? Did anyone feel it? Is that how Elgar found me? Did it attract the attention of my uncle?
I was so sure that the river started to freeze. I remember hearing the crack as the water turned to ice. I felt the icey water lap at my knees. That Oger felt it too. I know he did. I could see it in his eyes.
And that lightning.. It was such a large lightning bolt. It was right in front of me too, less than four feet from me. Yet, I didn't feel a thing. No heat, no spark, no pain. Nothing like that.
I don't understand what happened. Maybe it was just a fluke, but.. that power really did rush from me. Maybe that part was true. Maybe something inside of me awakened.
However, I doubt that spirit was what awakened in me. Those powers are unheard of. They're just fairytales. Something else must have happened. My mind must be playing tricks on me.
Elgar suddenly stopped. He set the wheelbarrel down gently. I watched as he gathered up different sizes of sticks, and tossed them into a pile. He stood back, and spit on the sticks. A huge glob of saliva fell onto the pile.
How was he able to spit that much?
Then Elgar lit a match, and tossed it onto the spit. Large flames licked up in the air before dying down to a normal fire. My eyes went wide as I stared at it.
"My saliva is flamable. It comes in handy for starting fires." He told me.
Elgar reached his hand out to me. I placed my hand in his, and he helped me out of the wheelbarrel. I walked to the fire, and sat on the ground. Elgar sat next to me.
"Are y-you going t-to t-tell me w-what you a-are now?" I asked him.
Elgar smirked. He rested his hand on my knee. When I pushed him off, he moved to grip onto my thigh harshly. Panic took over once again.
"A Slythe is an assassin." He said.
Assassin?
"I was actually hired to find you weeks ago," he said.
Weeks ago? That would mean...
I started to scramble away from Elgar as I realized just who hired him. He gripped onto my thigh harder, and yanked me back to him. I fell on my back, and tried to scramble away again, but it was no use.
"Ahh, I see that you've pieced it together," Elgar said. "Yes, it was the Grand Duke of the Light Elf kingdom that hired me to find you. He told me to bring you back to him." He said as he started to push up my dress.
I kicked and fought, but it was no use. I'm not strong enough to fight him.
"Although, his highness told me that I could do with you what I wished after I found you. Just as long as I bring you back," he said.
Elgar moved on to rip at the corest of my dress.
"No! P-p-please s-stop." I begged.
Elgar tore the top of my dress, exposing my breast. I tried to cover myself, but he pinned my hands above my head with one of his. His eyes roamed down my body greedily.
"I say we should take our time heading back." He said.
My sobs started to echo off the forest walls. Elgar fiddled with the strings of his leather pants. I tried to squirm, to get away, but he had too good a hold on me.
Please.. someone save me.
Elgar looked into my eyes, and smirked. He used his knee to push my legs apart more. I squeezed my eyes shut.
But nothing happened.
I opened my eyes again to see blood trickle down the front of Elgar's head. An arrow was sticking out from the middle of his forehead. His grip on me loosened until he fell on top of me. I scrambled to get out from under him. I didn't stop moving away until my back hit something hard.
I looked up to see another man. I hurriedly moved away from him. He has a bow in his hands, he must be the one that killed Elgar.
This man is taller than Elgar, but not as tall as an Oger. His ears are slightly pointed, but not like the Light Elves, or me. He has skin darker than mine, and intense golden eyes. He's also dressed like a knight, although I don't recognize the crest on his cape.
"I will not hurt you," he said.
I covered my chest up as I shuddered away from him.
"That man was going to rape you," he said.
"I-I-I-I-I-"
I can't even speak.
The man took a few steps towards me. When I flinched back, he stopped. He crouched down to look me in the eyes from a few feet away.
"You don't look like any creature I have seen before." He told me.
I only whimpered.
"Please, do not be afraid. I will not harm you," he said.
Am I just supposed to believe that?
"My name is Ralee. I am a royal knight to the Fae King and Queen. The King sent me out after we heard your call." He told me.
"M-My c-call?" I asked.
Ralee nodded.
"The energy you released. It was full of pain. I think most Fae creatures felt it. The King felt it more intensely since he is more powerful. I too felt it. I am sorry that I didn't get to you before that Slythe," he said.
"I-I c-called.. f-for h-help?" I asked, confused.
Ralee nodded again.
I feel so confused. I really did release that energy. Does that mean the other stuff I did was real too?
Ralee took off his cape, and tried to hand it to me. When I didn't take it, he tossed it to me. I quickly used it to cover myself.
"If you are willing to take the chance, I will take you to the Fae castle. The Queen will take care of you," he said.
Ralee held his hand out to me. I stared at it for a moment, and looked at him. What choice do I have at this point?
I placed my hand in Ralee's, setting my new fate.
- Writer
